Public Procession Requirements in Overseas Countries

Country/City
	System	Detailed Requirements	
Chicago
	permit	��	No public procession is to be held without a permit issued by the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and approved by the Department of Transportation after input from other agencies such as Police.  An application for a permit must be made not less than 7 days in advance unless there are good and compelling reasons.
	
New York
	permit	��	A permit is required for any street activity that has the possibility to interfere with normal street use.  Parades and demonstrations are handled by the Police Department.  According to a US lawyer, 36 hours’ notice needs to be given in advance of any marches or assemblies.

��	According to the New York Police Department, a large parade or demonstration application should be lodged at least 90 days before the event day.  Approval is granted after consultation with other agencies concerned.

��	According to a US lawyer, the City Hall Access Law limits demonstrations on the actual steps of New York city’s main government buildings to 150 people for a maximum three hour period.
	
San Francisco	permit	��	Any person who wants to organise a public procession (parade or demonstration) on a street, excluding streets on property under the jurisdiction of the Recreation and Park Commissioner, must obtain a permit from the Chief of Police (CP).  According to the Police Code, written application for such permit should be made at least 60 days in advance but the Chief of Police has a discretion to allow a shorter period.  CP may grant permit to an applicant who applies less than 15 days in advance if CP determines that the permit application requires no substantial investigation or preparation of the route.
	
Washington D.C., 	permit/
notification	��	All “special events” including public processions have to be approved by the DC Emergency Management Agency (DCEMA) and the Special Events Task Group which is under the control of DCEMA and is responsible for co-ordinating such events.  In addition, they have to obtain permits issued from specific agencies.  In this regard, all parades and demonstrations fall under the direct control of the Metropolitan Police Department.

��	For demonstrations and protests, an organizer has to submit a notification to the Metropolitan Police Department 5 days before the event.  If the event is classified as a procession or parade, the notification period is 15 days before the event.
	
Calgary	permit	��	No person shall participate in any parade or special roadway event on a city street until a permit has been issued by the Mayor or Council in the case of a parade, or by the Chief of Police in the case of a special roadway event.

Toronto	permit	��	Any person wishing to hold a parade including a procession on a highway must apply in writing to the Metropolitan Board of Commissioner of Police at least 21 days in advance.
	
Vancouver	permit

	��	No parade* of persons more than 30, or vehicles numbering 10 or more (except funeral procession) shall take place on any street unless a written permit has been issued by the Chief Constable.  Application for such permit should be made at least 90 days or within such shorter period of time as may be allowed by the Chief Constable.  A permit will be issued subject to any conditions that the Chief Constable may impose on the time, route etc. of the parade.

(* A parade is defined as any procession or body of pedestrians (except members of the Armed Forces) numbering more than 30, standing, marching or walking on any street, or any group of vehicles numbering 10 or more (except funeral processions) standing or moving on any street.)
	
Victoria
(Canada)	permit	��	Permit application for new events (including parades) that require a street closure needs to be submitted at least 4 months in advance.  Repeat annual events (including parades) with no street closures require a minimum of 6 weeks for applications.

South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland	non-compulsory prior notification system	��	Prior notification is not compulsory but participants of a notified assembly are given immunity from prosecution for offences relating to traffic laws and obstruction.  Participation in a non-authorized peaceful assembly is not an offence in itself but those specific immunities from prosecutions would not apply.

��	Queensland requires notification 5 days in advance.

��	Police may impose conditions relating to a matter concerning public safety, the maintenance of public order or the protection of rights and freedoms of persons.
	
Western Australia and Northern Territory	non-compulsory permit system	��	A permit is not mandatory.  Holding or participating in an unauthorized assembly is not an offence in itself but a permit gives immunity against specific summary offences.  The system is similar to the non-compulsory prior notification system.
	
Victoria
(Australia)	general privilege system	��	The right to peaceful assembly (including processions) is neither constitutionally guaranteed nor incorporated in any statute.  The only right to peaceful assembly is that which remains after the effect of common law offences and statutory restrictions are taken into account. There is no statutory power to prohibit an orderly peaceful procession.
	
Amsterdam	permit	��	Any person who wants to organize a public event (including a public procession) needs to apply for a permit.  The closing date for such applications depends on the size of the event as set out as below –

Less than 500 participants        8 weeks in advance
500 – 2000 participants          4 months in advance
more than 2000 participants       before 1 March of the previous year 

��	However, persons who want to organize a public meeting only need to inform the authorities 24 hours before the date of the event.  The mayor can refuse a public meeting if he believes that it could endanger public order.
	
Brussels	permit	��	A person wishing to organize a public meeting or public procession needs to submit a prior written application to the mayor’s (i.e. the head of the local police) office. The application needs to arrive at the mayor’s office at least 6 working days in advance.  Shorter period will be accepted for very small public gatherings.

��	An application needs to provide details relating to the purpose of the public gathering, the date and hour, the number of participants, the organization measures, the route and the contact details of the organizer.

��	Applications for public gatherings will normally be approved unless they endanger public order.

��	The mayor however does not allow public gatherings in the Brussels city area on Wednesdays and Saturdays because many people go shopping on these days.
	
United Kingdom	notification	��	At least 6 clear days’ advance notice must be given to the police in respect of a public procession except a funeral procession.  The police may impose conditions on public processions to prevent public disorder and may prohibit public processions upon the issue of a prohibition order if serious public disorder is likely to occur.

��	The police gave the direction on 21 April 1996 that during the sitting of Parliament, assemblies or processions of persons shall be dispersed and shall not be in or proceed along any street, square or open place within the area specified in the precincts of the Houses of Parliament.
	
Japan	permit	��	In Tokyo, a permit is required for holding a public procession.  The application must be lodged 72 hours in advance.
	
Malaysia	licence	��	A licence is required for holding a public procession and the application must be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance.

��	Before a licence is issued, the police must be satisfied that the public parade is not likely to be prejudicial to the interest of security or to excite a disturbance of the peace.
	
Philippines	permit	��	A permit is required for holding a public procession.  The application must be lodged at least 5 working days before the procession.

��	Permits will not be issued if there is a clear and present danger to public order, public safety, public convenience, public morals or public health.
	
Singapore	permit	��	No person shall hold or assist in holding any assembly or procession in any public road or public place without a permit or in contravention of any condition of a permit.  An application for a permit shall be made in writing to the Deputy Commissioner of Police not less than 4 clear days before a procession (or 12 hours in respect of a funeral procession).

��	An assembly of 5 or more persons is designated as “unlawful assembly” if the common object of the persons composing that assembly is, among the others, to resist the execution of any law or of any legal process, or, by means of criminal force or show of criminal force, to deprive any person of the enjoyment of a right of way.

��	In any proclaimed area, the Commissioner of Police may by order exclude all persons from any place in such area and an officer in charge of a division may by order prohibit absolutely or subject to such conditions as he may think fit any procession or meeting of 5 or more persons in any public place in such area.

Taiwan	permit	��	Application for a permit to hold assemblies / processions should be lodged to the Police at least six days before the event day.  Applicants with a proper reason owing to a major unforeseen incident after a natural disaster may lodge two days in advance.

��	The Police is obliged to notify the applicant in writing within prescribed time whether the procession is approved.  If the Police do not notify within the prescribed time, the application is taken to be approved.

��	Assemblies and processions are not allowed in the precincts of the following places (except with the permission of the Police) : 

(1)	The Office of President (總統府), Executive Yuan (行政院), Judicial Yuan (司法院), Examination Yuan (考試院), Courts of all levels (各級法院);

(2)	International Airport, port;

(3)	Important military facilities area; and

(4)	Residences of President and Vice-President, Consulates and Representative Offices of overseas countries (added to the list from 11.10.2000, according to a press report).

Caveat :	The above information is based on information provided by a legal consultant in 1997 as updated by our Economic and Trade Offices, through consulting their overseas contacts, and on Security Bureau’s own research.  Only some of the information has been verified against the relevant legislation.

Security Bureau
November 2000

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